1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drum acoustic wire and more particularly to a drum acoustic wire assembly which is used in a drum such as a snare drum, marching drum, bass drum, tom-tom, etc. and also relates to a drum that uses such a drum acoustic wire assembly.
2. Prior Art
A snare drum, for instance, is designed so that a special acoustic that imparts the musical instrument a peculiar light tone color known as “pattering” by way of selectively causing a drum acoustic wire to come into contact with and then separate from the drumhead and thus transmitting the vibration of the drumhead to the drum acoustic wire. Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-50372, for instance, discloses a structure for mounting such a drum acoustic wire.
FIG. 4, a top view, and FIG. 5, a sectional view, shows the structure of this prior art. The reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 4 and 5, is a drum main body, 2 is an bottom-side drumhead stretched over the lower opening of the drum main body 1, 3 is a drum acoustic wire assembly which includes acoustic wires and is mounted on the surface of the drumhead 2. The reference numeral 4 is a head frame, 5 is a tightening frame, and 6 is a strainer that causes the wires of the drum acoustic wire assembly 3 to come into contact with and to be separated from the drumhead 2.
The drum acoustic wire assembly 3 comprises a plurality of slender coil-form wires 11 that are disposed side by side in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the axes or axial lines of the wires, and a pair of band-equipped wire holding plates 12 (only one plate 12 is shown) that hold both end portions of these acoustic wires 11. The band 13 of each wire holding plate 12 is connected to the strainer 6. The end portions of the acoustic wires 11 are joined by soldering to the tip end portions of the undersurfaces of the wire holding plates 12 so that these soldered portions constitute the fastening sections of the acoustic wires 11. The above-described bands 13 (only one band 13 is shown) are connected at the tip ends to the base ends of the wire holding plates 12.
When the drum is played with the drum acoustic wire assembly 3 set thereon, the acoustic wires 11 are brought into contact with the surface of the drumhead 2 when the rollers 15 of the strainer 6 are pulled downward below the surface level of the drumhead 2, thus applying tension to the acoustic wires 11.
Since the quantity of the percussive sound of the drumhead 2 and acoustic wires 11 is proportional to the amount of contact between the drumhead 2 and the acoustic wires 11, so as to increase the quantity of the percussive sound, it is necessary to increase this amount of contact by way of causing the acoustic wires 11 to contact the drumhead 2 throughout substantially its entire region in the direction of length. Furthermore, it is desirable that substantially uniform contact be made throughout the entire region in the direction of length of the wires 11.
In the above conventional drum acoustic wire assembly 3, as seen from FIG. 5, the end portions of the acoustic wires 11 (only one wire 11 is shown) are connected at fastening sections 14 (only one fastening section 14 is shown) by soldering to the tip ends of the wire holding plates 12 (only one wire holding plate 12 is shown). As a result, the thickness of the tip ends 12a of the wire holding plates 12 is greater than the thickness of the base ends 12b of the wire holding plates 12. Accordingly, when the acoustic wires 11 are caused to contact the surface of the drumhead 2 by pulling the bands 13 downward by means of the strainer 6 and by applying tension to the acoustic wires 11, the base ends 12b of the wire holding plates 12 sink downward, causing the undersurfaces of the tip end portions of the bands 13 and the undersurfaces of the base ends 14a of the fastening sections 14 to contact the drumhead 2. When this occurs, the tip ends 14b of the fastening sections 14 are caused to float upward from the surface of the drumhead 2; and as a result, the end portions 11a of the acoustic wires 11 that are near the fastening sections 14 float upward from the surface of the drumhead 2. Thus, a good and tight contact of the acoustic wires 11 for its entirety with the drumhead 2 is not obtained, and it is impossible to increase the amount of contact of the acoustic wires 11 with the drumhead 2.